Initiation Gift
by TwentiesGirl29
Summary: After Mai joins DOMA, Dartz sends Valon to prep her for what is expected. Valon warns Mai that she can't become too attached to the people around her while working for Dartz. However, after their first night together, Valon rethinks his warning. Canon.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hello everyone! After 4 month hiatus of not posting (but writing a lot), I wanted to to post this multi-chapter one shot of Mai and Valon after she joined the Occult. As always, all of my work tries to stay as true to canon as possible. This story, among all of my others, follows the same timeline. In other words, everything that I write for Yugioh are all in one universe. As always, I hope you enjoy. If you guys like this, I might continue writing about Mai's and Valon's relationship during their time with Dartz. _

_Cheers,_

_TwentiesGirl_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh._

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><p>Mai surveyed the room around her. It was small and cramped. In the middle of the room was a twin-sized bed with a two-drawer bureau on either side. The only light that illuminated the dingy room was a small flickering fixture that hovered dangerously over her head. It looked as though a strong gust of wind would be enough to take it down.<p>

She sighed, continuing to hang the new clothes she had just bought earlier that day in the small closet facing her bed. She didn't know for how long she was going to be there. All of a sudden, she heard a knock on her door.

She dropped the top she was holding in her hands onto the bed and walked over to the door. She opened it so minimally that she had to pear through the small sliver to see who it was. It was the guy that brought her here.

"Hi, Dartz sent me," he said, that perpetual smirky grin on his face. Mai blinked for a moment as she took in his casual stance.

"Come in," she said finally, stepping to the side. He walked in and surveyed her handiwork. She felt the need to explain. "I didn't know for how long we were going to be here."

He chuckled and crossed his arms.

"Dartz told me to tell you that we are leaving tomorrow morning. We're going to Oregon."

Mai bit her lip at the irony. She walked over to her closet and began taking the clothes out and putting them into her black backpack.

"I didn't know," she muttered. The guy gave her a faintly pitying smile and went to stand beside her.

"Let me help," he said, reaching for a shirt to fold. They worked in companionable silence. Mai cleared her throat.

"So why are we going?" she asked. The guy shrugged.

"No clue. Probably to do some due damage, I'm expecting," he said good-naturedly. Mai nodded. Right. This was what she had to expect from now on.

He looked over at her, midway through folding a pair of pants, and gauged her silence.

"It's not as bad as you might think it is sweetheart," he said, his accent thick. "You'll get used to this constant jumping around from place to place."

Mai kept her eyes down towards her folding, not sure whether or not to call out his term of endearment. She decided not to.

"So besides constantly traveling, what else can I expect while being part of the—," she stalled, not exactly knowing what this was she was part of.

"The Oricalcos Warriors," he supplied, with an easy smile.

"Right," she said. "What can I expect to be doing?"

The guy finished folding whatever article of clothing he was on and threw it into her bag. He plopped down onto her hard bed and leaned back against his arms.

"Well," he started with a sigh, "a lot of things."

Mai waited for him to continue.

"First of all, you need to be okay with traveling a lot," he eyed her bag. "Secondly, you need to know how to ride a motorcycle, and ride it well."

"Why do I need to know how to ride a bike?" she asked. His lips pulled up into an amused smile at her interruption.

"We need to know how to ride bikes to get from place to place. Do you know how hard it is to be a warrior if you have to wait in traffic all day?" he asked, almost comically. "We need our bikes to maneuver around easily."

Mai nodded. She could learn.

"Thirdly, you have to know how to follow orders."

Mai's lips pressed together. He laughed loudly at her reaction.

"I can see from your expression that, that's going to be a problem for you, isn't it sweetheart?"

Mai didn't respond.

"Look, it's not that bad. I swear. Think of them as—," he paused, trying to think of the right word. "Missions," he said, his face lighting up as he found the word he was looking for. "We have to carry out these missions. After we do that, we can spend our free time however we would like."

Mai rolled the possibilities around in her head.

"So after we do the mission, we can do whatever we want with our free time," she reaffirmed. He nodded.

His face turned contrite and almost sheepish as he considered a thought.

"Dartz… Dartz did tell you what we do right?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes," she said. In great detail, she recalled. She saw him visibly relax in front of her.

"Good," he said, releasing a heavy breath. "I wouldn't have known how to approach that one," he said with a chuckle. Mai felt a smile on her lips before she quickly reached up and wiped it away. She found it hard to not be affected by his easy-going nature.

Mai turned her back on him as she tried to zip up her backpack.

"Oh, and one last thing. I want to warn you that this might be the hardest thing to do," he said. She paused mid zip. "You can't get involved with anyone. No feelings. No relationships. Anything."

She turned to look at him quizzically. He was more serious than she had ever seen him.

"We can't feel anything for the people that we duel. You understand that part right?" he asked. She nodded. He continued. "We also can't develop close relationships with each other either. Something might happen to one of us at any time. We might lose a duel."

Mai didn't even begin to think that caring for any of the Oricalcos warriors was even an option, but she let him continue regardless.

"We have to see it as helping the cause. If any of our friends lose, we have to keep moving and continue our missions. No stopping," he said with finality.

That wasn't going to be a problem. She nodded anyway, not adding to what he said.

She finished zipping up her bag and set it on the ground next to the door. She heard the bed squeak as he got off.

"You're a quiet one aren't you?" he asked, leaning back against the wall. He crossed his arms. She turned back to face him. The same easy smile was back on his face again. This time, there was something to it that she couldn't place.

"I don't have much to say," she shrugged. He chuckled and nodded in assent.

"Fair enough." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Mai watched him, curious. He looked up at her with his eyebrow raised, as if to say this isn't what you think it is. Mai tried to keep the smile from coming, but eventually gave in to the familiar crinkling.

"Here," he said, finally extracting whatever it was that he wanted to find. It was a card. She stepped closer and took it from his hand. It was unfamiliar to her, but soon, she realized, she would be well acquainted with it.

"Thank you," she said. He nodded and began to leave. Almost out of the room, he turned back to her.

"Hey listen, did you want to get a couple of drinks tonight?" he asked. Mai blinked in surprise. "With all of us, I mean. It's sort of a tradition, every time we go someplace new," he supplied with a smile, knowing that Mai misconstrued his words.

Mai felt her body relax. She cleared her throat.

"Are we allowed to do things like that?" she asked, instantly regretting her words. She didn't want to come off as some Pollyanna. He smiled nonetheless and she saw his bright blue eyes twinkle.

"What Dartz doesn't know won't hurt him," he said. Mai couldn't help but giggle at his logic.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a relatively warm spring night. The air was brisk, but not enough so that a jacket was necessary. Mai wore a high waisted black leather miniskirt and a loose fitting, but low-cut lacy white tank top. She completed her look with a casual pair of black heels. Walking along the cracked sidewalk, she looked around at her surroundings and for the first time, realized, she had no idea where she was. Was she still back in Southern California where her apartment was? After he picked her up on his motorcycle that night, Mai kept her head hidden in his back. She didn't know for how long or where he had taken her.

The thought should have scared her, but somehow, she felt at peace. Not knowing where she was brought her a sense of calm, an even further separation between the person she was now, and the person she was that rainy night. Walking past tall professional looking buildings, she caught a glimpse of herself on the mirror-like exterior of the building.

She looked the same; nothing about her physical appearance was altered. The change was in her eyes. There was an edge and assuredness that was lacking before. Mai quickly walked past the building until she turned the corner and saw a few people standing outside talking loudly. She looked up at the sign. "O'Reilly's Pub," it read. Mai smirked. _How original_.

She made her way past the security guard, flashing her I.D. at him briefly before entering. Although, she noticed, he seemed to be looking everywhere else besides her I.D. The bar wasn't anything out of the ordinary, maybe a little bigger than average. Off to the far right from where she was standing was a cozy looking island complete with overweight bartender, candles, and stools. Spread sporadically across the room were heavy wooden tables and chairs that didn't seem to have a rhyme or reason to their placement. The decor was masculine, to say the least.

"Mai! Over here."

Her eyes whipped towards the source of the sound. He was sitting by the far end of the bar. He waved his hand so she could see him.

She took a deep breath as she approached him. She noticed that he didn't take his eyes off of her as she made her way towards him.

"Nice of you to finally show up," he said, with a friendly smirk. Mai sat down next to him.

"I had trouble finding it," she lied. She had almost decided not to go. He smiled at her in a way that suggested he didn't believe her excuse one bit.

"Where are the others?" she asked. He turned around and indicated with a nod of his head towards the back of the bar where the velvety red pool table was.

"Allister and Raphael are over there playing pool," he answered. Mai scanned the people playing pool trying to figure out who Allister and Raphael were. Her companion caught on.

"The big one with the blond hair is Raphael and the skinny looking one with red hair is Allister," he supplied. Mai continued to look, but she couldn't see Allister. All she saw was a girl with red-hair. Then, it dawned on her.

"Is _that_ Allister?" she asked, shocked. He didn't even turn around to look at whom Mai was pointing at.

"Does he look girly?"

Mai nodded. Valon's lips twisted into a half smile.

"That's our Allister," he said, with a laugh. "What do you want to drink?" he asked, waving the bartender over.

"Vodka soda," she answered automatically. He turned to look at her face intently.

"You'll want to take out your I.D. just in case. You look pretty young so he's probably gonna card you."

She took out her I.D. from the pocket of her skirt and put it on the table. He glanced down at it quickly then chuckled.

"Legal drinking age in America is 21 sweetheart," he said. Mai blinked in surprise, looking back at her I.D. as if it held some unknown answer. Of course it was. How did she forget?

"How were you able to get in?" Valon asked curiously, his head tilt to one side.

"I don't think the security guard was looking at my I.D.," she said truthfully. He looked as if he were trying to hold back a naughty smile.

"Nor should we expect him to," he said. Mai tried to ignore the flirtatious look in his eyes.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked, his voice thick with an Irish accent. Mai fumbled with her I.D., realizing that she might be getting thrown out of the bar.

"The lady will have a vodka soda," her companion said smoothly. The bartender looked back and forth from him to Mai. He finally rested a suspicious glare on Mai's undoubtedly young face. Mai slipped her I.D. smoothly back into her pocket.

"I need to see some I.D.," the bartender stated, crossing his arms. Her companion, whose name she did not know, brought out his wallet and shook his head while sharing a level look towards Mai.

"Can you believe it sweetheart? I haven't been asked to show I.D. since I was 23," he tsked. The bartender rolled his eyes.

"I think you know whose I.D. I'm asking for smart guy."

Her companion smirked and slipped out a hundred dollar bill next to his I.D.

"See, I'm over 21, so can you please get me a vodka soda."

The bartender gave him a conspiratorial look, then glanced both ways before grabbing the bill with one of his thick sweaty paws.

"Vodka soda coming right up," the bartender said. He smiled and looked back at Mai, who was admittedly, impressed.

"Mmm bribery, they say it's the American way right?" she asked softly. He chuckled and shrugged comically.

"I've found bribery works across all cultures."

Mai smiled.

"Thank you," she finally said.

"You owe me a hundred bucks. Punishment for having such a young face," he teased. He took a sip of his dark drink. "I remember when I was 18," he muttered with a shake of his head.

"And how old are you now—," she paused; trying to remember if she'd heard him mention his name.

"Valon," he volunteered with a smile, deciding he would put her out of her misery.

"Valon," Mai said, testing the way it felt on her lips. He gave her a cheeky smile and leaned in.

"I like the way it sounds when you say it."

Mai didn't want to, but she blushed, making Valon throw back his head and laugh heartily. Thankfully, the bartender brought her, her drink so she was able to divert her attention.

"Tastes fine?" Valon asked. Mai took a deep sip, letting the mixture of alcohol and caffeine rush through her system, relaxing her muscles.

"Very."

"Good," he said, taking a deep sip of his drink as well. It had been a long time since she drank. She wasn't much of a drinker period, but something about tonight made her feel as though she needed to relax.


	3. Chapter 3

They drank in relative silence. Mai was onto her third vodka soda while he was still nursing his first.

"So where are you from Mai?" he asked before sipping his drink. The alcohol was starting to do a number on her mind and she felt much more relaxed than she had previous.

"Is it that part of the night already?" she asked monotonously. He almost sputtered, which made her smile into her drink. Valon laughed loudly after he set down his drink.

"I'm trying to make polite conversation," he said, wiping his lip, "is that such a bad thing to do?"

Mai shrugged.

"Don't," she suggested, raising her brow. He leaned back on his stool, looking impressed and chuckled softly.

"Fair enough," he said with a twinkle in his eye. There was a beat of silence as Mai ordered her fourth vodka soda. She made the mistake of looking over at him and saw that he was watching her with curious, but amused eyes. He set his drink down and leaned forward so that he could rest his cheek against his palm. He sighed heavily. Mai didn't take the bait, which prompted him to speak again.

"What if I really did want to know about your back story and it had nothing to do with polite conversation?" he asked. When she looked up at him in disbelief, he raised his hands in defense and said, "You really got me curious now, what is it about Mai Valentine's past that is so bad that she's not willing to spill." His cheeky smile was back firmly on his face. He leaned forward and nudged her bare thigh with his knee. "It can't have been _that_ bad, a pretty girl like you."

Mai rolled her eyes.

"What about you then?" she asked. "What's your back story?"

He smiled broadly, gazing at her for a moment before leaning back and crossing his arms.

"What do you want to know?" he retorted easily. Mai took a long sip, her eyes never leaving his.

"From the beginning."

Valon smiled, as he always did, but this time it wasn't as bright. He scratched the back of his head nervously.

"It's kind of grim. I wouldn't want to put a damper on things so early on since we're having such a good conversation."

Mai gave him a look that indicated she could take it. Valon sighed and tried to catch the bartender's attention to order another round for the both of them. This was going to be his third, she remembered, and her… fifth?

"Well I never knew who my father was and my mother was a lady who didn't have things together, not like yourself of course," he said, giving her a grin. "When I was very young, she left me at an orphanage and told me she would come back, but," he paused, shrugging, "she never did. I found out later that she was a lady of the night."

Mai felt something for this guy who she barely knew. It wasn't empathy, exactly, but it was strangely close. "I grew up a pretty disruptive kid because of that," he finished.

Mai scrunched her delicate brows together.

"That's it?" she accused. He laughed.

"You don't expect me to give you the full story when you haven't even told me where you are from, do you love?"

Mai rolled her eyes and muttered,

"You wouldn't be interested" under her breath. "What about Allister and Raphael?" she asked. Valon clasped his hands together with a devious grin.

"Now _that_ I'm comfortable telling," he said. "Bartender!" he yelled heartily, "Can you give me and my lovely lady friend here another round?"

Mai felt herself laugh for the first time that night. It wasn't sarcastic or mocking, it was genuine.


	4. Chapter 4

"And then ever since that day, Allister has always been afraid of loud noises. I mean, he won't ever admit to it, but ask anyone," Valon finished, chuckling. He looked down at his drink and saw that it was empty as well.

"Remind me to yell in Allister's ear when I get the chance," she slurred, finishing off with a funny giggle. Valon lifted his eyes from his glass and took a good look at her. She was still sitting straight, but her head was leaning more towards one side. Her eyes were much more hooded and she had this silly inebriated smile on her lips.

Valon couldn't help but grin.

"Mai are you drunk?" he asked politely. She giggled, a very cute giggle Valon noted, and rested her lips against her palm.

"I… am," she said, turning her face to beam up at him.

"Are you really?" he asked incredulously. He took her drink from her and gave it an experimental sip. "It's not even strong," he accused. Mai didn't have an answer except for laughing.

"I'm a lightweight Valon," she apologetically drawled. "Valon," she breathed, as she rested her head against the bar's countertop. "Mmmm Valon, Valon, Valon," she finished with another squeak of laughter.

"I'm right here love," he said patiently.

He grabbed his wallet from the bar and stuffed it back into his pocket. He held up a bill so the bartender could see and then left it on the countertop.

"Come on Mai, let me walk you home," he said gently as he put his hand on her shoulder. Mai reached into the tight pockets of her skirt and tried to yank out her credit card.

"Whoa, what are you doing there?" he asked. Mai looked at him confused.

"Paying for my drinks," she said slowly.

"It's okay love. My treat." He gave her a warm look.

"Are you sure?" she asked, contrite. He smiled and extended his hand towards her.

"Consider it an initiation gift," he said, a twinkle in his eye. Mai placed her small hand in his and he pulled her up easily. Mai swayed forward a little too hard, however, and landed right on top of him. This made her laugh beyond all control.

Valon smiled down at her and pulled her off so that she was standing in front of him.

"Are you sober enough to walk home with me?" he asked, looking her in the eye. She blinked, puzzled.

"Don't bother, I can walk home by myself," she said indignantly. He gave her a funny look.

"It's no bother, my room is right next to yours remember?" he pointed out. Mai hiccupped.

"Oh yeah," she said, laughing slightly. Valon shook his head and wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her walking straight as they left the bar.

Before they left, he turned back to see Raphael and Allister still by the pool table. He waited for them to make eye contact then gave them a wave to indicate that he and Mai were leaving. He didn't know what Allister whispered into Raphael's ear to make him smirk, but he assumed it had something to do with the leggy blond he was holding on to.


	5. Chapter 5

The night air was much chillier than it was before. They had stayed out much later than Valon had originally thought and there were only a few people still walking in the streets. Most of the people he recognized were from the bar they just left. They walked in silence for the first block before Mai spoke.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"The Bay Area… I think that's what they call it," he said, scratching his head with his free arm. "It's in California. We're near San Francisco." Mai answered by making a content sound. She said something that he didn't hear.

After a few more moments of nothing but the sound of their shoes making contact with the cement, Valon cleared his throat.

"So, do you have a boyfriend?" he asked, trying to keep the interest out of his voice. Mai noticed, however, and looked up at him curiously through her dark lashes.

"What's it to ya," she said drunkenly. He shrugged.

"I'm just wondering that if you had one what he would think about you joining up with us." There was a moment's pause before Mai answered.

"No, I don't," she said honestly. He smiled to himself. He felt happier than he should've, but he wasn't going to let her know.

"That's a good thing right? I doubt any guy would be okay with me talking his girlfriend home from a bar," he teased. She leaned her head against his chest sleepily and muttered,

"That sounds like the beginning of a bad joke."


	6. Chapter 6

"Mai, shhhh," Valon whispered, although he wasn't every stern. Mai was laughing uncontrollably at a joke she had just made. Eventually, Valon gave up trying to quiet her down and simply let her laugh. He couldn't help but smile at the fun she was having.

He had forsaken any pretense of chivalry three blocks ago and simply had both arms wrapped around her waist to keep her from falling down or swaying.

They finally reached her door after a long walk down the carpeted motel hallway. Valon leaned her back against it and stood in front of her. He sighed in contentment as he looked at her bright face, her cheeks delightfully pink from the alcohol she had just consumed.

"Has anyone ever told you that you are very charming when you drink?" he asked chuckling. Mai's eyes positively smoldered as they dimmed. Her look could have only been described as sultry.

"I've been told that I have my charms when I am sober too," she murmured softly. Valon was still for a moment as he analyzed her face. Then, a slow feral smile crept onto his lips.

"Has anyone told you that you are much more flirtatious when you drink?" he said as he stepped closer, resting his arm on the wall next to her head. "This is a far cry form the pensive and tightlipped Mai I was talking to at the bar earlier this evening."

Mai looked up at him through her lashes and realized something startling. She knew that he was attractive, in that passable way strangers acknowledged each other, but it wasn't until now that she realized it truly. He was tall and lean and she could see even with his white t-shirt on that he was muscular. His light blue eyes contrasted so heavily with his dark brown hair. And his face, there was something about his face, in the way that his lips were always cheekily smiling and his eyes always bright, that made it seem as though he were hiding a secret from the world.

They were probably mocking thoughts, she realized. She knew to stay away from guys like this. She had done a good job of it up until this moment. But, the part of her mind that enjoyed the attention kept telling her to keep playing this game with him and see where it went.

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><p>Valon looked down at her and felt his bravado slip away. She was, by anyone's standards a knockout. But, standing so close, he could see that she was even more than what he had initially gave her credit for. Her skin was positively milky and her face was beyond anything he'd ever seen. She had deep violet eyes framed by dark lashes and the plushest, fullest pink lips. With hesitant fingers, he reached a hand up to her face to brush away a few strands of light blond hair from her eyes.<p>

He scanned her face intently and even through her rapidly decreasing drunken haze, she could tell that he was truly at a loss for words.

"You really are beautiful aren't you," he said finally, more to himself than to her.

Cautiously, as if asking her permission, he began to trail his fingers down from her cheek to her lips. He tested the softness of her lips by mindlessly rubbing this thumb against it.

He chuckled almost nervously to himself. "You probably think I say this to everyone, but I think you are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

Whatever remnants of alcohol that she had left in her system completely disappeared when she felt his fingers against her lips.

"You're not so bad yourself," she said boldly. Valon looked at her silently for a moment, before a flash of pain and desperation appeared on his face. Before he knew it, his lips closed over hers.

He tried to kiss her gently, but his carefully held control was slipping away. He felt her lips open up under his and slipped his tongue in easily. He stroked her tongue with his own, memorizing her taste. Mai's fingers tangled into his hair as she tried to pull him closer. He heard her whimper against his lips which only fueled his desire. He let his hands, which were holding the back of her head, travel down to her small waist. He grabbed at the skin beneath her shirt and pressed her to him. Valon groaned as he felt her generous breasts flatten against his hard chest.

Mai moaned and grasped his shoulders as she felt his hand slip down even further and cup her behind. He squeezed and kneaded her deeply through the material of her short skirt. Her breath hitched as he bent his head to kiss her neck.

He knew that he needed to get her inside a room before he was going to explode and simply take her there in the hallway. But before he had the chance to even move his hands toward the doorknob, Mai pulled her body away from his and gasped. Within a millisecond, she opened her door and stepped inside, closing it without another word.

Valon didn't know how long he stood in front of her door. He was painfully hard as he tried to catch his breath. But, it was in that moment that he realized this girl was going to be the death of him.

The End

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><p>AN: Let me know what you think! Let me know in the reviews if you want me to keep writing about their time in DOMA.


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